April 13 - Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion

David Kaplan, Julian Pellicano, Greg Anderson, Eric Beach

Wow, wow, wow, wow! I didn't think I'd be able to go on following the first movement of today's performance; my heart was pounding so hard I was nervous my hands would shake right off the piano. I can only think of a few instances in my life in which I experienced such an incredible flow of adrenaline. (It went really well.) I was, as they say, "swept away by the music," ... swept away by the really intense, loud, and tight performance.

Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion takes a great deal of work to put together and an unimaginable level of concentration to perform, but it's worth it.

On a side note, check out this photo I took from backstage while they were setting up:


Yes, that's the stage. You can't even see the second percussionist's setup for the Bartok or the marimba at the front of the stage. Percussion recitals, it seems, have a significantly more cluttered stage than piano recitals do.

April 10 - Degree Recital at Yale

With the incredible load of obligations I currently face (working on two commissions for The 5 Browns, preparing for performances of Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion later this week, preparing for lectures and a piano duo recital in L.A. next week), it was a miracle I made it through this recital in one piece. I allowed myself 2.5 concentrated days of practice to relearn the program after having set it aside for a month.

Those moments when you forget you are on stage and enter another world are wonderful. Regardless of preparation, there were moments that when all fears dissipated and inspiration took over in tonight's concert - specifically in the Menuett and Toccata in the Ravel, Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze," and the theme from Schumann's Symphonic Etudes. Those moments are why I love to perform.

There are also those moments when you *realize* you are on stage and there's an audience watching your every move. In situations of little preparation, those moments can be truly terrifying ... such as midway through Schumann's Symphonic Etudes.

That's what sets live performance apart from recordings - the unknown - spontaneity. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

February 22 - New Music New Haven

Performers are often given unrealistic expectations when it comes to the premieres of new works. I was asked to perform an incredibly difficult piece composed by a student here at Yale - Yoshi Onishi. Written for soprano, cello, and piano, we were given four days to learn and rehearse the 25-minute work. Four days! It took me half a year to learn the Ligeti Etude I play so often. It takes pianists months to learn Beethoven sonatas (and when do we ever really feel prepared to play them in public?).

Onishi's piece was virtually impossible to play and the composer screamed every time I played a wrong note. The rhythms were so confusing that we had to have a conductor; his job was to ensure that the three of us (or in one of the movements, all two of us) were in the same place.

Somehow last Thursday night, we were expected to walk on stage, look composed and professional, and perform the piece for the public. No wonder audiences frequently take issue with new music! Somehow we got by (and I didn't hear any composer screaming during the performance). We did the best we could, and even though none of us were particularly impressed by our own performances, we were very impressed by each others. The singer did a marvelous job navigating her atonal sequence of pitches!

This is why I like to be the one to play my own music instead placing it in the hands of unprepared performers.

December 14-17 - Yale University - Piano Duo Filming

Although these performances were not necessarily "live in concert," they were filmed for eventual viewing on our websites and YouTube. With any luck, they will be edited and on the web by February!

Liz (my piano duo partner) joined me in New Haven, and we spent four jam-packed days filming in various locations around Yale University. 17 minutes of music netted over six cassette tapes of footage and two very exhausted pianists. Much like a recording session, filming sessions can be extremely demanding. In a live performance, you play the piece once; extreme focus and concentration are required, but I find that can I feed off the energy of the audience. With a recording, you've got to recreated the energy of a live performance without the audience there - it's sometimes very difficult to do! Plus, you've got to run through the piece over and over again to get a good take! With a video recording, you've got to recreate the energy of a live setting, perform it repeatedly for a good take, *and* do it over and over again from different angles!

That's not to say we didn't have a good time! Half of the time, our exhaustion wasn't the result of the demanding nature of filming, but the result of laughing too hard for too long. It's quite possible these videos will "cross the line," and filming anything anywhere near that "line" is simply comical for Liz and I. Accordingly, we've decided to create a couple "out-take reels" to show the joy inherent in over-the-top four-hand performance.